{Review} Scoot to Zootz

Who doesn’t love great deals? Thanks to Cudo, the four of us had a hundred dollars worth to spend with a forty dollar coupon.

Oh are you liking my new layout? Am currently trying out different things. Still unsure of which one works best though. If I’ve got any readers out there, your two cents would be really appreciated!

I digress.

So Zootz. A friendly bar with some spazz. Located right smack on the esplanade of Henley Beach, one of Adelaide’s many wonderful beaches along the shoreline. How blessed we are. I love Henley Beach with its neighbourhood kinda feeling sans camera clicking tourists and the hustle bustle of the city. Not that Adelaide conjures up the image of bustle anyway.

I keep getting off tract. So we happily plonked ourselves on comfy seats and begun meticulously studying the very extensive menu. First off, the drinks. The sister, a perennial chocoholic, zoomed in on the chocolate iced blended. It was a lot of ice and not enough chocolate. I guess if they used the darker variety, a richer flavour would ensue. I didn’t bother taking a picture of the extreme coffee toffee iced blended as both looked identical. This one was marginally better with a stronger taste as advertised. The award winning fruit bomb looked nothing like the picture online but it was pretty bombtastic. A concoction of apple, lime, orange, banana, blackberry and a whiff of lavender, it was certainly heavy on the fruity flavour. It was worth a try but I was happy with my cider.

We had a con carne nachos for 2 to start and my was it good. Corn chips laden with generous servings of beef salsa, refried beans topped with a heap of sticky gooey melted cheese served with a sides of smooth guacamole and sour cream. Five years in Australia and I’m still fooled by the portion sizes. ‘For 2′ actually really meant ‘for 4′ I reckon.

The seafood platter for 1 was once again, a huge serving. The beer battered hake was succulent and fresh but lacked seasoning. Salt and pepper squid, prawns and mussels were cooked perfectly, all tender and juicy, unlike the one too many rubber band experiences I’ve had with overcooked calamari. A little bowl of garden salad and interesting scalloped potato chips completed the rest of the plate. At $28.50 it was a tad pricey as hake is usually a cheaper fish and the rest of the seafood was moderate in quantity.

By the time the pizzas arrived, we were slowly inching towards 70% full stomach capacity. This could end badly. The first pizza we tore into was the Fully Loaded, with really generous toppings of virginian ham, hungarian salami, olives, anchovies, pineapple, capsicum, onion, garlic, and lots of cheese. As with all pizzas go, the secret is in the crust and a balanced amount of toppings. The crust was on the thick side but thin enough to pass. I am a fan of really thin and crispy crusted pizzas. Chewy thick ones are no goes. With the long list of ingredients, the pizza was surprisingly light and far from monstrous. As with many pizzas I’ve made at home, I usually pile on 50% too much toppings, rendering the pizza soggy with a crazy amount of ingredients. Hits the spot this one.

We soldiered on to at least try a slice of the other pizza. By this time we were already 101% full. The Spud! pizza was actually quite delicious. Sliced potato, fresh prosciuto, olive oil and garlic aioli were listed in the menu. The carbs on carbs combination of potato on crust was not as heavy as I anticipated, which was a good thing judging from our overloaded gastric capacity. The garlic aioli packed a decent punch of flavour as well. I would have preferred the proscuito to be crispy instead to provide a more complex texture. An altogether hit though.

On my previous visit to Zootz, I remembered having the 3 Little Pigs pizza and that was also a hit with virginian ham, hungarian salami and bacon making up the brothers three ensemble.

Head down to Zootz if you’re in the area. The bar boasts a wide selection of interesting cocktails too. A better idea, jump on the next interesting coupon deal and you’ll usually walk away happy.